Insights into the use of telemedicine in primary care in times of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic - a cross-sectional analysis based on the international PRICOV-19 study in Austria

BMC Primary Care

Research

Florian Odilo Stummer¹  Kathryn Hoffmann¹  Maria de la Cruz Gomez Pellin¹  Esther van Poel²  Sara Willems²  Lisa Voggenberger³ 

[1] Department of Primary Care Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria;Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium;Institute for General Medicine, Johannes-Kepler-University, Linz, Austria;

关键词: Primary health care;    General practice;    Video consultations;    Telemedicine;    SARS-CoV-2 pandemic;    COVID-19;    Austria;    PRICOV-19;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12875-023-02113-6

 received in 2022-12-23, accepted in 2023-07-18,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe SARS-CoV2 pandemic as well as the implementation of public health measures to decrease the spread of the virus re-sparked the call for “virtual” health or “distance” treatments. This paper aimed to assess the use of video consultations, the up-to-dateness of practice websites, and the views of GPs on whether eHealth is a positive aspect for the future of their practices in publicly -funded primary healthcare facilities in Austria.MethodsThe cross-sectional online questionnaire, part of the PRICOV-19 study, was conducted from December 2020 until July 2021. We randomly recruited 176 GP practices across Austria. Descriptive statistics as well as binary logistic regression models were applied to examine the associations between telemedicine use and practice factors.ResultsCompared with before the pandemic (3.8%), 7.6% of publicly funded GP practices have been using video consultations since the pandemic. In line with this, 93.9% of the practices had no increase in video consultation use. Fewer than half (44.3%) had an up-to-date webpage, and 27.8% assumed that the pandemic might have been a positive driver for eHealth in their practices. Positive associations with video consultation use could be found in practices with fewer patients aged 70 years and over than the average and more patients with chronic diseases than the average.ConclusionThe use of video consultations in general practice and the readiness for other telemedicine approaches are both very low in Austria. Austria has to urgently follow the example of countries with a transparent and comprehensive national digital health strategy that includes video consultation. Without a proper payment system, patient inclusion, and support with regard to administrative and organizational aspects, no substantial change will occur in spite of an increase in need due to the pandemic and changes in the patient population.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023